Adventures in Dating
by meburleson
Summary: This will be a series of "quick writes" (stories I spend about 30-45 minutes on). These stories take place the year before "Communication Breakdown" when Annie and Auggie first started dating and living together. Mostly fluff. Few edits will be done on these, as I will write them then immediately post what I write. Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not Covert Affairs or its characters.
1. Beep

Beep

 _beep_

Auggie woke to the noise again. It had been a constant for three days. He usually only heard it late at night though. Tonight, he held Annie in his arms trying to think about anything other than the irritating beeping coming from the apartment next to them. It didn't seem to affect his sweet Annie though, she never once mentioned it and now she lay, unmoving, fast asleep. He wasn't sure if she just couldn't hear it or if she just didn't mention it as to not draw his attention to it if he didn't hear it.

 _beep_

Of course, he heard it though; he heard every sound around him. It was imperative that he did. Not being able to see, meant he had to rely on his other senses more than other people. He had to be able to concentrate on the most obscure sounds that most people never paid attention to. But tonight, the beeping was not something he needed to hear. Instead it was a nagging constant that he couldn't seem to drown out by his thoughts alone.

 _beep_

Deciding he needed to finally take action and do something about the noise, he gently moved himself from Annie's sleeping form, got out of bed, and found his shorts from the crumpled pile of discarded clothes at the foot of the bed.

Trailing his hand along the staircase, and then ghosting his hand over the couch, he reached the table in the corner of the room. Opening the drawer on the table, he began searching. Not finding the item he searched for, frustration began to build inside him as he slowly touched each item in eh drawer, until he identified it.

 _beep_

Suddenly, he heard her bare feet sound on the wooden floor of the bedroom. Moments later her voice rang out in the living room a few feet from him. "Auggie… You know I love you, but why are you up at 3 in the morning rummaging through random drawers?"

"Looking for my lock-pick set." Auggie stated simply continuing to feel around in the drawer.

"Augs, why do you need to pick a lock at this hour?" Annie said coming up behind him and placing her hands around his shoulders lovingly.

 _beep_

Auggie stopped his search, brought his hands up to meet hers and then moved her hands up around his neck to his lips. After kissing her hands gently he said, "I've got to make that beeping stop."

"Oh, yeah, it has been rather annoying." Annie confessed. She too had heard it, but had hoped it wasn't bothering him as much as it did her.

"You heard it too?" Auggie asked. Turning himself around so that he faced her.

 _beep_

"Of course I did, who wouldn't hear that? I was just hoping if I didn't acknowledge it, that I would grow used to it and be able to ignore it.

"How'd that work out for you?" He asked her,

"It didn't, hence, why I'm awake at 3am with you discussing breaking into our neighbor's apartment."

 _beep_

"You know what Annie Walker?" Auggie began playfully.

"What, Auggie?" Annie replied already knowing his response.

"I love you." He said honestly. It was probably one of the most honest things he ever said.

"I know." She said bringing her lips closer to his until his collided with hers. After a few moments like this he asked, "So we're doing this?"

 _beep_

"You bet we are! My set of lock-picks is in my purse, I'll grab it on the way out."

Hand in hand they discreetly headed into the hallway to once in for all put an end to the beep.

 **Author's Note: Just like you'd clap or boo for the concert you just sat through, please review my writing as you read it. I'm not above saying, I really do NEED to hear from you. Each review is like a piece of chocolate rewarded to me for my hard work. Do you think I deserve that reward?**


	2. Beeping

**Author's Note: Well, many of you wanted to know what the beeping was and how they handled it, so here it is. Unedited, unreviewed as most of my work is. If you have an idea for another "adventure" that our favorite couple can have as they explore their new relationship, new living situation, and/or new life-let me know! Meant to be on the same timeline as "Communication Breakdown". So a prequel of sorts I suppose. But I have no plans for what the next addition might be. Could be tomorrow that something hits me, could be a month from now.**

Beeping

 _Beep_

Walking inconspicuously into the hallway, Annie and Auggie headed over to their neighbor's apartment. They knew that their neighbors were not home and didn't expect them home until the weekend. The beeping got louder once they were in the hallway.

Holding Annie's arm just above her elbow as they usually did, Auggie walked half a step behind Annie, allowing her to lead him in the familiar hallway. Annie carried the lock picking kit in her right hand as if it were a wallet.

 _Beep_

Reaching the next door, Annie said. "I'll unlock the door, you keep watch."

"Ummm, Annie. A blind watch dog isn't a very successful one." Auggie quipped.

"You're telling me you can't tell me if someone is coming?" Annie questioned playfully putting her hand on his shoulder.

 _Beep_

"Well, yeah, course I can." Auggie said smiling. She never let him use his disability to get out of _anything._ They had been dating for three and a half months now and Annie had moved in two weeks ago. At first he wasn't sure she would be able to handle it, but after the first weekend he thought, _Why did I doubt her? It's Annie, after all._

"That's what I thought." Annie said then turned towards the door. Within thirty seconds, the door was unlocked. Immediately the beeping got louder as the door opened. Annie offered Auggie her arm as they went into the apartment. Switching on the lights in the apartment, Annie hoped no one would become suspicious of the lights being on at 3 in the morning.

 _BeeP_

"Okay, let's find this beep, shut it off, and go back to bed." Annie said with purpose walking into the apartment.

"It's coming from the ceiling" Auggie said slightly tilting his ear towards the sound. "Fire detector, maybe?" He said as he heard it again.

 _BeeP_

Auggie knew logically that it wasn't, but the sound seemed be getting more frequent the closer they got to it.

"I see the fire alarm!" Annie said after a few minutes of looking around. "That's for sure the source of the beep. How do we make it stop?"

"The battery must be low." Auggie said stating the obvious.

 _BeeP_

"Yes, I know that, but I don't exactly have an extra battery in my robe, do you?" Annie said looking at him doubtfully.

"Well, no. Can't we just take it off the wall?" He asked as she moved again. He stepped with her with his left hand on her arm and right hand out stretched. He trusted her completely, but still needed to make sure he didn't run into anything.

 _BEEP_

"I guess we can. I'll pull a chair under it and see if I can get it down. Wait here." Annie said. _Here_? Auggie thought. It was rare for Annie to use such non descriptive nouns with him.

"Okay" He said as he stood awkwardly in the space. He hadn't brought his cane over and didn't know where anything was in this new place. So he just waited awkwardly.

He heard a chair to his right scrape against the floor for a second as it was presumably lifted into the air to be moved and then moments later heard the legs of the chair hit the floor again.

 _BEEP_

"Come hold the chair for me" Annie said, touching his hand and guiding him to the chair. With both hands on the chair he felt Annie in front of him. She put a hand on his shoulder as she climbed onto the chair.

"Don't let me fall." Annie said above him.

"I wouldn't dream of it." He said confidently. But in the back of his mind he doubted what he would do if she started to fall.

 _BEEP_

As she pulled the alarm off the wall, took a moment to figure out how to take the battery out, and waited a moment.

She placed her hand on his shoulder again as they waited.

This time the beep didn't sound. It was quiet between them as Annie got off the chair, moved it to where it belonged and used the back of her hand to offer Auggie Sighted Guide.

"Finally." Auggie said.

"Yes, Finally." Annie responded as they made their way through the apartment, turning off the lights and making sure the door locked behind them. Arm in arm again they head back to their apartment.

Sliding the door open, Auggie oriented himself to his own apartment. Reaching for Annie and catching her arm he brought her close and kissed her lips.

"Thanks for helping me defeat the beep, Walker." He said between kisses.

"Anytime Solider. You ready for bed?" She asked teasingly.

"Always." He said dropping their clothes throughout the apartment as they made their way to the bed.

Neither got any sleep the remainder of the evening as they stayed in each other's arms til the sun rose.

 **Author's Note: Just like you'd clap or boo for the concert you just sat through, please review my writing as you read it. I'm not above saying, I really do NEED to hear from you. Each review is like a piece of chocolate rewarded to me for my hard work. Do you think I deserve that reward?**


	3. Pen

**Author's Note: Okay everyone, Here's what is happening here. I have a bag of "story ideas" (which are basically one word/phrase pieces of paper) that I draw from when I can write for this story. I will draw and think about what to write and then I get 30-45 minutes to write whatever I can. The title of each chapter will be whatever was on the piece of paper I drew that day. These are unedited and you may even want to read more of them. There is NO plan to continue any of these chapters. DO NOT read this story if you don't like this idea for "quick writes" as I'm calling them.**

* * *

 **Pen**

"Annie have you seen the pen I had on the credenza last weekend." Auggie asked out of the blue on Thursday morning as they sat at the kitchen bar drinking their coffee. They had been living together for a month. Their morning routines seem to fit perfectly with one another.

"Oh yeah, remember Tuesday when I was in that fight in Barcelona?" Annie said sheepishly causing Auggie to become suspicious.

"Yeah, what does that have to do with my pen?" Auggie questioned after taking another sip of his coffee.

"Well, I had picked up the pen Sunday to write the grocery list and I guess I put it in my purse with the list." Annie admitted.

"Okay… so where is it now?" Auggie said impatiently. She never moved things from the credenza.

"Well, on that mission in Barcelona, it was the only weapon I had with me when I got in that fight. I kinda used it to jab in my attacker's carotid artery." Annie confessed. "I'm sorry. I'll buy you a new one." Getting up and kissing his cheek, noticing the tense look on his face. He got up and walked to the other side of the bar.

"Annie that pen can't just be bought; it was a prototype for a new surveillance project I've been working on. That pen is worth about half a million dollars." Auggie said gripping the kitchen bar tightly in an attempt to keep his cool.

"Oh my god, I used a half million dollar pen to kill a man?" Annie said flabbergasted.

"Just tell me you still have it?" Auggie pleaded still gripping the side of the bar.

Annie's head began to spin; this was big, really big. How was she supposed to know he had brought home such a piece of equipment, it certainly had not looked like a half million dollar super pen.

Auggie was desperately trying not to get angry with her, but his patience was wavering. She had never done anything like this, she never moved his things, but in her defense it did look like just a regular pen by design.

"I didn't know it was an important pen. I think I just left it. It's probably in the hands of the authorities who investigated the crime scene." Annie stated watching him closely, he was angry possibly more angry than he had ever been with her.

"Annie! How could you?" Auggie shouted in anger.

"I'm sorry Auggie. I didn't know it was anything more than a regular pen." Annie said quietly trying to hide how stunned she was at his shouting. He had not raised his voice to her since they started dating three months ago and had only done so a couple times since she'd known him.

"Well, it was and now we have to figure out how to get it back before the CIA realizes it is missing." Auggie said through gritted teeth trying to calm himself.

Annie walked to the side of the kitchen bar Auggie stood at. "Okay, find out who is on the case and I will go back to Barcelona and figure out how to get it back. I'm sorry Auggie, I'll fix this. I promise I'll get the pen back." Annie said putting her hand trying to reassure him.

Taking a step back from her he said "Annie, there isn't a choice here, you have to get it back. We will tell Joan we are going to take next weekend off. You know she will let us. We'll go to Spain and do whatever it takes to get it back."

"Auggie, I don't need a babysitter to get a pen back." Annie said playfully trying to try to lighten the mood.

"I'm not coming as a babysitter, I'm coming to help. I'll create an identical pen throughout the week and work on a plan for how you can infiltrate whatever agency is on the case of the man's murder. Were you wearing gloves during the fight?" Auggie asked.

"No, I didn't wear gloves." Annie said.

"So we have to deal with that as well. I'll hack the system to change the fingerprint results before we get there."

"Do you think Joan will question us asking for the weekend off?" Annie questioned.

"No, she knows we are dating, she will be glad to see us taking time for us. I think she was just as excited as we were when we started dating." Auggie said smiling for the first time since the conversation started. Joan had expected they would get together when she paired them as agent and handler two years earlier.

"I'm really sorry about all this Auggie. I really just thought it was a regular pen." Annie said sheepishly.

"It's okay Walker, just next time you make a grocery list, use your own pen please." Auggie said smiling as he approached Annie on the other side of the kitchen bar.

"I will Auggie, I promise I will never pick up one of your pens again." Annie said smiling as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him gently.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Again, there is no plan to continue this chapter into them going to Barcelona and retrieving the pen. This is just a quick write. Whatever I can write on a topic in 30-45 minutes.**

 **If you have an idea for a topic you want me to "quick write" please leave it in the comments or message me.**

 **Reminder: Just like you would clap or boo for a concert you just sat through, please review my writing as you read it. I'm not above saying, I really do NEED to hear from you. Each review is like a piece of chocolate rewarded to me for my hard work. Do you think I deserve that reward?**


	4. Teddy Bear

Teddy Bear

"Annie?" Auggie asked from the bedroom as he was unpacking some of Annie's things. She was in the process of moving in with him. The whole ordeal was taking longer than Auggie thought it would, but much of that was due to Annie being sent on a week-long mission to Spain and then another to Germany. But finally, they both were off for the weekend and committed to finishing the moving process. Annie had just returned with another load of boxes from Danielle's. Auggie had been putting Annie's clothes away when he found an item he wasn't sure what to do with.

"Yeah?" Annie said sliding the front door closed as she finished bringing in the last box from this load.

"What's this?" He held up the mystery item as he heard her come in the bedroom.

"Oh. Umm, that's just an old trinket from our travels when we were younger." She said walking over to take it from him. Her dismissive tone on the object sounded off to Auggie.

"Oh, I see. What exactly is it?" He said still holding it. As he continued exploring it with his hands, he knew it was some sort of stuffed animal, possibly a dog or cat.

"It's just an old stuffed bear. I got her when I was four. I'm not sure where we were living when I got her, but she was always with me." Annie said almost embarrassed. But Auggie sense something else in her voice, sadness or regret perhaps.

"Well, just by the tone in your voice, I know this is more than just 'an old stuffed bear'. What does it look like?" Auggie asked still holding the bear. It seemed old and worn in his hands. Its soft texture was comforting in his fingertips.

"She's a pale yellow and white. She has beady black eyes. She's quite tattered and has some stains on her. Some of the velvety, orange-ish cloth on her nose has come off as well as the orange colored leathery patches that are on her paws. She's just special to me, that's all. Now can I please have my teddy bear?" Annie said tugging gently at the bear he was holding.

"Of course, but I want to know more about it. I sense a story goes with her." He said as he released the bear to Annie. He then made his way down the steps from the bedroom toward the couch in the living room, taking cautious steps holding out his left hand for obstacles. He was sure Annie put the boxes out of his walking paths, but he still wanted to be cautious until everything was unpacked and settled.

"Now, take a break and tell me more about this bear." Auggie instructed playfully towards the bedroom.

"There's not much to tell Auggie." Annie said trying to get the topic to be dropped. Still holding onto the bear, she stopped in the kitchen for two beers from the fridge before heading to the living room.

Annie tapped the cold beer to the back of Auggie's hand as she sat down on the couch and continued talking. "I got her when I was about four years old." She answered realizing he was not going to let it go.

"Why have you kept her for so long? Oh, and why is it a her, why not a him?" Auggie asked curiously. He did not know her to keep things like this. She was a spy. Spies didn't get attached to materials objects because there really was no telling when you'd just have to pick up and go, leaving everything behind.

"Well, it's a girl because her name is Alexis. She's named after her previous owner." Annie said cryptically.

"Previous owner? Okay, you're not telling me something. Spill the beans, Walker." Auggie said putting his beer on the coffee table and searching for her hand. "Like I said, I sensed a story with that bear. It has history. Now, spill. Why do you still have a 25 year old bear?"

Annie took a deep breath and repositioned herself on the couch. With her legs crossed under her and the bear resting on her thigh, she scooted closer to Auggie, placing her hands in his. "Auggie, I'll tell you think, but I'll prefix it by saying, this isn't the happiest of stories."

"Okay." Auggie said, interest peeked. Annie didn't often talk about serious things from her past; in fact neither of them did really.

"Alexis Bear belonged to my sister." She stated after a sigh.

"Ummm, Walker, your sister's name is Danielle." Auggie interrupted.

"Yes I know Auggie. Let me finished." Annie said taking another deep breath. This wasn't something she talked about often and she hadn't expected to have this conversation with Auggie for a while. "Alexis Bear belonged to my sister, Alexis. She died before she was two years old. This was the bear I picked for her from the hospital gift shop right after mom had her. After Alexis died, I asked mom if I could have it. I have had her ever since. It's my most treasured object."

"Annie, how could you have a sister you never told me about? How'd she die?" Auggie said a little stunned.

"Auggie, I don't like talking about it." She began slowly. He gripped her hands tighter in his own to let her know he was completely focused on her. "She drowned one September evening. We were at a neighbor's house. Our parents were out of town and we had been staying with the neighbor for the weekend. I was playing ball with Danielle in their backyard. The neighbors were grilling dinner on the back deck. They had an above ground pool. Apparently Alexis climbed the ladder and sank to the bottom. As Danielle threw the ball close to the pool, I went to get it and I saw something in the pool. I yelled when I saw that it was Alexis. The neighbors were able get her heart going again, but the damage to her brain was too severe. They took her off life support three days later and I said good-bye to my baby sister." Annie sniffled out in explanation. She hated crying like this, but this was a powerful story that she kept locked away. The emotions that came with it were still raw and uncontrolled.

"Annie, come here." Auggie said bringing her in for a hug. After several minutes of just holding her, he said softly, "You know you can always tell me anything, right? I'll always listen. I'm sorry about your sister. I can't imagine losing one of my siblings." Auggie commented, "Now, where should we put Alexis Bear, she is special to you and deserves a distinctive place in our home."

"Auggie, you'll never see her. You don't have to indulge my childhood memories." Annie said wiping her tears.

"Nonsense, Alexis Bear is a vital part of who you are. I don't have to see the bear to know she is there. Auggie said first touching the bear Annie held in her lap and then running his hand up her arm to meet her face. Rubbing a tear away from her cheek he said "I've explored every inch of this bear and you've described her to me. It is as if I can see her. She's important to you, so she's important to me."

"Thank you Auggie. Thank you for understanding." She said as she got up from the couch. Auggie followed suit and they started walking around the apartment hand in hand, discussing possible places to memorialize Alexis Nicole Walker.


	5. Lightbulb

Lightbulb

Annie stretch before she got out of bed that morning. It was early. The sun wasn't even up yet. She hated these mornings, but at least she wasn't alone in it anymore. She knew Auggie would be rolling out of bed in a few minutes too. The routine was, Annie got up, showered and got ready and then Auggie got up and showered and got ready. Annie took so much longer to get ready that by the time Annie had showered, got dressed and put on all her make up on and did her hair, Auggie would be freshly showered, shaved, and dressed making breakfast in the kitchen.

But this morning, they had to be in the office promptly at 6:45 for a 7am meeting. So that meant Annie was getting up at 5 to begin the morning routine. Putting her feet on the floor she stretched again. Waking over to the bathroom, she flipped on the light. Closing her eyes and grimacing at the brightness she blinked a few times while her eyes adjusted. She started the shower and brushed her teeth while the water warmed up. It was a cold February morning. She had been living with Auggie for about four months. She knew it would all work out, but he had his doubts. He wasn't sure Annie would be able to tolerate living with his blindness day in and day out. But she showed him. Just like she had at work, he saw that everything about him just seemed to come naturally to him. He rarely had to remind her of anything, and if he did once, he never did again. It was as if she were made for him.

As Annie got a towel from the cabinet she put it on the towel rack next to wear their bath robes hung. Of course, she had many more "products" that took up space in the bathroom than what Auggie was used to, but he adapted quickly. It only took him grabbing her shampoo by mistake once before they quickly came up with a system for both their items. Luckily being a spy meant she didn't "have to" wear makeup and fix her hair all the time, so she had considerably less than the average girl. However, she did sometimes like to look a bit nicer, such as today for example. Today she knew it was unlikely she'd be out on mission, so she could afford to look a little nicer. She wouldn't have to worry about sweating it all off running from a potential attacker.

Stepping into the shower, she stepped under the water and let it run over her. Massaging her hair under the water until it was sufficiently saturated; she put a glob of shampoo into her hand and put it into her hair as the light went off.

"Haha, very funny Auggie, turn that back on. I'm in the middle of washing my hair." She said aloud.

Not hearing a reply she wondered if the power might have gone out. She tried again as she massaged the shampoo into her hair. "Auggie? That isn't funny." Again no reply.

She quickly rinsed the shampoo from her hair, turned off the water and got out of the shower. Reaching for the towel from the rack she was disappointed as she misjudged the distance and hit the wall with her hand instead. She tried again, but this time got her robe instead of a towel. Frustrated, she took the robe from its hook and threw it over her shoulders. This bathroom was far too dark right now. As she felt the wall near the entrance of the room she flipped the light switch, but was not rewarded with the outpouring of light that she had expected.

 _Great, the bulb is blow_ Annie thought to herself.

Walking into the bedroom, she turned on the bedroom light and looked at Auggie as he continued to sleep. Of course, the light didn't bother him in the least, but the lack of light and messed with Annie's routine big time. She wouldn't be able to finish her shower in the dark. She'd have to wake Auggie up to ask him where the lightbulb were kept.

"Auggie? Are you awake?" Annie called, knowing he wasn't. She also knew that he'd be awake in an instant as soon as she called.

"Yes. What time is it? Did I oversleep?" Auggie said sitting up alert to her immediately. Throwing his legs over the bed, he waited for her to join him on the bed.

"No, You still have 15 minutes to sleep, but I need to know where you keep the light bulbs." She said coming over to his side of the bed.

"Ummm, Walker, I don't know if I have light bulbs. I haven't exactly had much need for light lately, so I guess I never thought about having any. I only used lights when I had guests over before you moved in, so they kinda last me a long time. Why do you need a light bulb?" He said finding the hand she had just placed on the bed and bringing it to his lips.

"The light in the bathroom just went out and it's really dark in there without any light." She said, feeling a little guilty for mentioning it. She wrapped her arms around him as he gently kissed her neck and contemplated the "problem" Annie was presented with.

"Hmmm, well, can't you shower in the dark just this morning? We can get light bulbs after work." Auggie said smiling to himself. It was an amusing concept to him as someone who always showered in the dark.

"I _can_. I would just really prefer not to if I don't have to." She confessed.

"Well, Annie Walker, it looks like you're in luck, I don't have any light bulbs. We'll see if you _can._ You'll just have to make due this morning. Let me know if you need any assistance, I'll be happy to show you the ropes." Auggie said facing her directly with a broad smile on his face. He had to admit he was entertained about the prospect of his girlfriend needing his help in the suddenly pitch dark bathroom.

"haha Augs, I think I'll be fine, after all, you do this every day, right?" Getting up she leaned over and kissed him before making her way over to the bathroom, turning off the bedroom light as she went, just to prove she could meet Auggie's challenge. "How hard can it be?" She teased from the bathroom door.

"Harder than you think Walker, harder than you think." Auggie mused to himself a few minutes later as he heard her swear as she dropped something in the shower.

 **Author's Note: Just like you'd clap or boo for the concert you just sat through, please review my writing as you read it. I'm not above saying, I really do NEED to hear from you. Each review is like a dollar thrown into my guitar case after you enjoyed the song I just played for you. Do you think I deserve that small reward?**


	6. Share

**Author's Note: Tonight's pull from the idea bag gave me the word "Share" to write a story with. Please remember that I only give myself 30-45 minutes to write once an idea is pulled from the bag and that I do not edit these. Therefore they WILL contain errors and may not be the most exciting of my stories. Please review so I know what you're liking, disliking, and wanting more of. Also, if you have an idea for a story you'd like me to write, let me know! I'll put it in the bag and write it when it comes out. I hope the write more of these this week.**

 **Share**

Auggie got home a little later than usual on Wednesday night expecting Annie to be home, resting. She had just got back from a mission in Barcelona and had left work after completing the necessary reports for Joan. Auggie had known it would be a long night for him, so he had told Annie to just go on home. They had been dating for six months and living together for three. They seemed to each fit perfectly into the other's life. Or so Auggie thought.

Opening the door to the apartment, he called out to her.

"Annie, where are you?" He asked listening for her. He knew it was way too early for her to be in the bed.

"Hey darling, I'm right here." She said from the couch.

He stowed his cane, messenger bag, keys, and phone into their proper places and made his way over to the couch. Easily finding where she sat, he sat down beside her, put his hand on her thigh and kissed her passionately before asking, "Have you had dinner yet?"

"Of course not, you know I always wait for you." She replied leaning into him as she kissed him back.

Auggie pulled away from her, concerned. "You know you don't _have to_ wait for me, right?" Auggie said with narrowed eyes in her general direction.

"I know, I just want to. What should we have?"

"I don't know, I always pick. What would you like tonight, Walker?"

"Oh, I'm good with anything. What do you want?" Annie answered quickly.

"Anything? Annie that doesn't narrow down the choices much." Auggie said. He was a bit annoyed that he could never get her to make these small decisions.

"Yeah, whatever you want is fine with me." Annie said unaware of Auggie's growing annoyance.

"Well, I'm going to need you to make the decision tonight." Auggie said seriously.

"What do you mean?" Annie said thrown off by his serious tone.

"I mean, I always share my ideas, thoughts, and decisions on what we eat, where we go, and what we do. Tonight is your night to decide. It's Annie Walker's time to share in the decision making process around here."

Annie groaned. "Why Auggie? I'm perfectly happy just doing whatever you want to do. Why does it have to be a big deal?"

"Annie, tonight, we're doing what you want to do. That's what I want. You asked what I want. Well, I'm sharing my thoughts. Now let's hear yours." Auggie repositioned himself on the couch, found her hands, and looked directly at her. If not for the lack of focus to his eyes, she would have sworn he was looking directly into her chocolate brown eyes.

Annie sat for a few minutes just starring at their hands twisted together. She honestly didn't know what she wanted. It sincerely did not matter to her what they had for dinner. She always just thought he would have plan for it like he did everything else.

"Auggie, I honestly don't know. I guess I just always expect you to want something specific or to already have a plan." Annie stated, but only spoke half the truth. Auggie sensed there was something she was holding back.

"What is it Annie? Why would you think I would always have a plan?" Auggie asked perplexed. Did she still consider herself a guest in his house? In their house? Of course, he had made most of the plans when they first started dating and he invited her over. In fact, now that he thought about it, they had never done something she "wanted to do" since they had begun dating. "Annie, do you still consider yourself a guest here?" He asked tentatively bringing her hands closer to him.

"Of course, not Auggie!" She said a little too quickly and defensively. "I guess I've just got a bit complacent in our routines. As you said earlier, you always choose what we do, where we go, and what we eat. I guess I just found it easy to let you do the planning."

"Hmmm, I guess this is just as much my fault as it is yours. In my need for independence, desire to win you over, and habitual routines, I guess I just didn't think about sharing those responsibilities. I won't lie, I was getting a bit annoyed that you never wanted to share the work load." Auggie admitted.

"I'm so sorry Auggie, I just thought you enjoyed the control. I know since you lost your sight that you crave your independence, I don't want to come into your life and mess anything up for you." She said in a small voice that caught Auggie a bit off guard. He tilted his head to the side a bit thinking about how to answer her.

"You're right, I do like having a good bit of control over what happens in my life whenever I can. Living without sight means I can't always be as spontaneous as I once was, but that doesn't mean I won't ever do things on the fly or allow someone else to hold the reins a bit. You're my girlfriend Annie and I want us to share more than just this space." He said taking his hands out of hers and gesturing to the apartment around him for effect. "Annie, I know I haven't said this yet, but I love you and I want you to be happy-happy with me. I don't want you to feel like you have to make any sacrifices to be with me. If you want to have burgers one night for dinner, let's do it. From now on, we share the decision making around her. Relationships are about compromise and communication." Auggie spoke softly but sternly. Annie however, heard nothing after he spoke those three special words. Without warning, she lounged off the couch and kissed him passionately, wrapping her arms around his neck as momentum pulled them deeper into the couch.

After making love to each other right then and there, Auggie held Annie's bare body against his own. With the biggest grin on his face he said "Well, Walker, I think this sharing of decisions is going to work out just perfectly."

"Uh huh. I agree Augs." Annie said tenderly as she playfully kissed him.

 **Author's Note: Just like you'd clap or boo for the concert you just sat through, please review my writing as you read it. I'm not above saying, I really do NEED to hear from you. Each review is like a piece of chocolate rewarded to me for my hard work. Do you think I deserve that reward?**


	7. It Can't All Be Perfect

**It can't all be Perfect**

"Hey Walker." Auggie says as he hears her signature heels come into his office one Wednesday afternoon.

"Hey sexy" she whispers in his ear after coming around his desk to meet him.

He reaches for her and she bends down to give him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Well, Walker, what have I done to earn this reward at the office?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to kiss those perfect lips of yours. Don't worry; I made sure no one was looking before I did."

"Well, good because I can't be the look out." Auggie quipped.

"There's more for later though" she said seductively in his ear.

"My place, 7 o'clock?" Auggie asked hoping she was free.

"Absolutely, Joan has me filling out paperwork for the mission I just finished, but that shouldn't be a problem." She said walking towards the door. "I'll call you if anything comes up."

* * *

Later that evening, Auggie brings the roast out of the oven at exactly 6:45pm. He had hoped Annie would be free tonight, so he had put it in the oven on low to cook all day. When he got home he added chopped potatoes, onions, carrots, and celery to the pan and put it on to cook for another hour. Annie would be there any minute and he wanted to impress her with his cooking. They had been dating for a month, and up until now, they had only ordered in or went out for meals.

Auggie set the table and brought the roast over to the table and went to the couch to wait for Annie to knock on the door.

Thirty minutes passed and Annie still had not come or called to say she would be late.

After another thirty minutes, he begins to worry. He tries calling her, but it goes straight to voice mail.

After two hours, he's tried calling her several times consistently getting her voicemail. He decides that maybe her phone died and she's on her way.

Another hour passes and he gives up, puts the roast away and settles for a bowl of cereal for his dinner.

* * *

The next morning, Annie comes into his office with his morning coffee.

"Good morning." She sang in her usual chipper tone. But Auggie was still upset with her; he kept his attention on his work.

At first Annie thought nothing of it; sometimes his work did require a lot of concentration, especially since he was working just as hard as everyone else (sometimes harder) without the benefit of sight.

* * *

Later, in the morning, Annie and Auggie were called to Joan's office.

"Annie, I need you in Florence on the next flight out. It'll be a quick brush pass to get some intel we need, you'll be back home by the weekend." Joan said. "Auggie, you'll be her handler per the usual. Here are the mission files." She extends them out to them, but Auggie does not stand to get it.

"I think someone else should be Annie's handler for this mission, Joan." Auggie finally spoke.

"What?" Annie and Joan both said at the same time.

"Auggie, I don't have time to get anyone else up to speed on this case. You're the best team for the job."

"Fine. I'll do it." Auggie said before getting up and walking out of Joan's office leaving both women uncertain at what had just transpired.

Annie was quick to leave as well, but Auggie was nowhere to be found. He wasn't in the hallway, in his office, in the kitchen or anywhere he usually would be.

Annie began preparing herself for the mission, but never stopped glancing up at his office waiting for him to arrive.

Twenty minute after leaving Joan's office, just as Annie was about to head to the airport to catch her 2 o'clock flight, Auggie returned to his office.

"Hey, what was that in Joan's office?" She said from the door of his office.

"It's nothing, Annie. Go, you have a flight to catch." Auggie said trying to remain calm.

"I'm not leaving here until you tell me what's wrong." Annie said coming further into his office.

"Annie. Does 7 o'clock ring a bell?" Auggie asked after a moment.

"No-oh! I was supposed to meet you last night. I'm sorry Auggie!"

"Annie, it's too late for sorry, I've just got to get over it. It won't be the last time you disappoint me. It was just the first since we started this." Auggie replied with a straight face. He was trying not to yell or say anything he would regret.

"What do you mean 'it won't be the last time you disappoint me' Auggie?"

"I mean, I shouldn't be surprised that you forgot about our date. Work comes first with you. Just like it used to for me." He shrugged as if dismissing her.

"Auggie I didn't mean to forget. And yeah, I've only been with the agency for two years, so forgive me if I still want to prove myself. I can't believe you think I put work before you."

"Well, don't you?" Auggie said, "Annie, you _do_ put work first. I know this about you. I just let myself think that we could have a special evening together last night without complications. It's not a mistake I will make again, believe me."

"Auggie-" she started but then looked at her watch. "Ooooh! We're not done with his conversation, but I have to catch my flight." She answered instead. She was not going to let him get away with saying those things to her. Of course she put him first. But sometimes, the job had to take priority.

"Yep, made my point right there." He said to himself as he heard her heels leave his office. _But it can't all be perfect._ He thought to himself. At least they would have a couple days apart to cool off.

 **Author's Note: This chapter will have a sequel to it coming up next. It should be posted later tonight. Please review. I need the reviews to keep the muse happy and writing.**


	8. Injury to Insult

**Author's Note: This is the sequel to the previous chapter "It can't all be Perfect". I wish the title to this was "Let's just add injury to insult", but that's not what the piece of paper said that I drew from the bag. Please enjoy and review.**

Injury to Insult

Annie was on her way to Florence and Auggie was on his way home. The plan was for her to just get there and get the lay of the land for now. Then when he was back at work tomorrow, it would be time for her to make contact with the source, get the intel, and be back on the next flight out of Italy. She would be in a plane for longer than she would be in Florence. But the 12 hour plane ride meant she couldn't be talking to him and it gave him a chance to cool down.

Annie couldn't believe Auggie. Why was he so upset about her missing one date? It wasn't even the first one she had missed. She thought it had been understood between them that they knew their job meant hectic lives. But, now Auggie was all offended when she forgot about their date. She had gotten caught up at work and left late. When she finally got off, she thought only about going home to a bowl of ice cream, taking a hot bath, and going to bed. Of course, she felt bad for forgetting to call Auggie, but it just seemed weird to her to have someone to check in with. They had been dating for a month, but she still wasn't used to the concept yet. He was still her handler, best friend, and mentor. But now, he was also her boyfriend and apparently that meant him knowing where she was at all times. Annie wasn't sure how she felt about that. She just knew she felt insulted at his insinuation that she didn't put him over their job.

After arriving in Florence, she immediately checked into her hotel and climbed into bed. Of course she had slept on the flight, but she could never be a restful slumber on a plane. She knew she would need to be up by 9am local time to get ready for the meet at noon. She knew that Auggie would be leaving work early yesterday so that he could be there in her ear when the meet took place. That would mean being at work by 6am for Auggie. She knew he would be there for her though.

After a few hours' sleep, Auggie got himself out of bed at 4:00 to prepare for another work day. Annie's meet would be in an hour and a half. He almost wanted to be late just to spite her, but it wasn't his style. Plus, it was his job to be there for her. Try as he might, he wouldn't go anything to jeopardize his job, even if it meant being there for Annie when she clearly did not want to give him the same treatment. He had tried to forgive and forget. But he couldn't get the idea out of his head that this wouldn't be the last night he waited for her, just for her not to show.

Once he got to work he felt a little better. He was good with routines. Arriving to work at 5:30, he checked Annie's status to find her already in transit to the meeting place.

"Hey Auggie, I'm sorry I forgot about our date Wednesday. I promise I'll make it up to you." Annie said into the microphone a few minutes later.

"We'll talk about it later Annie. For now, let's just complete the mission and get you home." Auggie said not wanting to mix business with pleasure, even if the chat they needed to have wouldn't be the most pleasant.

"I'm meeting a tall dark haired man wearing a white suit and baseball cap, right?" Annie said after a few minutes.

"Yeah, but it's not quite noon there yet, you still have a few minutes." Auggie said after checking his watch.

"Auggie, he's dead. I just passed his body in an alleyway near where we were supposed to meet."

Auggie sat up straighter in his chair. "Annie, you have to get out of there, something's not right."

"Auggie, there are big guys with guns running toward me." She whispered into the mic.

At that moment, all his anger and bad feelings towards her melted away. "Annie, run. Run as fast as you can. Keep me on the line if you can."

Auggie listened carefully as she ran through the cobblestone streets of Florence. He heard a shot fire, but he breathing told him she was still running. Another shot, then another. But her pace did not slow. All of a sudden, he heard a gentle thud, followed by "oh crap" and another shot.

"Annie? Annie what happened?" Auggie almost shouted into his own microphone. He could still hear her breathing, but it wasn't as fast or labored as it was when she was running. He waited for what seemed like forever for her to say something. "Auggie?"

"Annie! Are you alright? What the hell happened?" He said suddenly feeling quite exhausted.

"I'm fine Auggie, it's just, I can't walk. I think I broke my ankle. I fell when they were chasing me. I've got a graze on my arm from one of the bullets too, but it's not bad."

"Annie, where are the guys that were shooting at you?" Auggie asked concerned that she might be a sitting duck out there.

"They kept running. I hid behind a dumpster when I realized I couldn't keep running on this ankle." She hissed as if mentioning the offending limp caused it to acknowledge itself.

"Annie, I'll get you out of there. Let me see what kind of assets we have on the ground there. Can you walk at all?"

"I can try." Annie said through gritted teeth.

"Okay, hang tight Walker."

"No problem." She said. "Oh hey Auggie, you up for a house guest for the next few weeks?"

"Ummm, pardon?" Auggie mumbled into the mic. She had caught him off guard as he checked for flights out of Florence.

"Well, I figure I'll be out of work for a few weeks with this ankle. Why don't I stay at your place to recover? Make it up to you from missing dinner the other day." She said while taking deep breaths through the pain.

"Annie Walker, only you would turn an insult and an injury into something masterfully beautiful. Of course, I would love for you to stay at my place while you recover. I'm sorry I got so upset about you forgetting our date and I'm sorry for the insulting words I said." Auggie said softly.

"Great Auggie, thanks. Now, about that ride home?" She said with a smile, happy that their first real fight as a couple was now behind them. Now she just had to get home to make sure she made it up to him.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Remember, I DO NOT edit these at all. So I'm certain there are spelling errors, wrong words, and grammatical errors throughout this. If this bothers you, I'm sorry, you can point out the mistakes if you'd like. I might get around to editing these someday. These are just meant to be fun chapters that I write on the fly, without much research, thought, or time. Also, if you have any ideas for my quick write or stories you'd like me to write, please let me know.**


	9. Walk

**Hey guys! I know it's been forever since I posted anything. School has started back and let's just say this teacher is super duper busy. This little one shot came out of me tonight when I was a bit upset. So I grabbed my story grab bag and went with what I pulled out which was "walk". I am hoping to update other stories soon, but I can honestly make no promises. I do hope you enjoy this little one-shop. It is a quick-write, so little to no editing was done and I have not read back over it. This was about 30 minutes of writing from idea pull to posting it. If there are any glaring mistakes, feel free to tell me and I will change them. Thank you for your patience in waiting for me to update. I hope the it was worth the wait.**

Walk

"Annie, you have to believe me when I say I didn't know what Joan's plan was for you the past two weeks. How was I supposed to know?"

"Auggie, I know you know more than you told me. That's what upsets me. You may not have known everything, but you knew there was something Joan wasn't telling you and you purposely let me go to Rome and waste two weeks on a pointless mission."

Auggie pinched the bridge of his nose in defeat. He had known more than he told Annie. But now that they were arguing about it, there was no way he was letting on.

"I'm going for a walk." Annie said out of the blue.

"Annie, don't be ridiculous. It's after midnight and it's the middle of January. They are calling for some pretty heavy snow tonight."

"Oh so now I'm ridiculous!" Annie yelled at him as he heard her stomping toward the door, open the closet, and open the front door.

"At least take your phone!" He yelled back before he heard the door close.

"Fine, but I'm turning it off." She said crossing the living room, presumably to where her phone was.

Auggie clinched the edge of the breakfast bar as he anticipated the door slam. Annie was very angry with him and even more so now that she suspected he was in on the botched mission. Of course they had not planned on it being unsuccessful, but it was one of those missions they had planned multiple contingency plans for getting the information in other ways if Annie couldn't pull it off. The plan had been simple enough; cultivate an asset at the University in Rome. Annie, however, had done just the opposite and the intended target thought Annie was an enemy instead of a potential friend. He had been extremely unreceptive to all of her attempts to contact him.

Two weeks after she arrived, another operative approached and successfully obtained the professor as an asset. And of course, no one had told Annie there was another operative attempting the same mission she was.

Annie regretted immediately her decision to go for a walk on this freezing evening, especially with the blizzard that was pouring down on her. She was ill prepared for the weather. Not mentally, physically, or fashionably. She thought about heading back, but thought better of it. _I'm NOT letting him think he won this argument or that he was correct that I indeed should not have gone for a walk._

So Annie pressed on, walking nowhere in particular. As it was it was too late for anything to be open for her to stop at the rest or get a coffee to warm herself up. She simply continued walking, taking turns here and there. After about an hour of nonstop walking, she realized that she had no idea where she was. And furthermore, it did not appear she had wondered into the best parts of town. As she passed a few random people who threw snide and crude comments her way, she immediately wanted to find her way home as quickly as she could.

She was tempted to call Auggie, but as she turned her phone on she realized it was dead. She had forgotten to charge it. _Of course Annie, only you would do something like this._ She berated herself.

She started retracing her steps trying to get back to their apartment. But nothing looked familiar covered in a blanket of snow. As she guessed another hour passed she began to panic a little. She could only imagine what Auggie might be thinking right now. Or was he thinking about her at all. Had he just gone to bed angry with her?

Auggie passed the floor of the living room. She had been gone for almost three hours. And she wasn't answering her phone. He couldn't check her location if her phone wasn't on. Was she hurt? Lost? Or just being exceptionally stubborn? Had she gone back to her sister's to stay the night? She had to know he wouldn't go to bed until he at least heard from her. Right?

Annie was growing weary from walking and was cold, wet, and hungry. This was one adventure she did not want to extend. Hope finally appeared as she saw a cab coming her way. It was unusual to see cabs out this late on snowy nights. She waved it down.

She spoke briefly to the driver before climbing into the backseat; she was surprised to see that it was not empty. There sat Auggie.

"What are you doing here?" Annie said giving him a hug of relief.

"It's after 3 in the morning Annie. I need to know you were safe. I called a cab to head I the direction I thought you might have gone. Where on Earth did you go?"

"I don't even know. I'm so glad to see you!"

"Get a little lost?" Auggie said with a smirk.

"I'll never tell." Annie said defiantly.

 **Sorry it was so short and underdeveloped. It really was a quick write that a lot of thought and effort does not go into (not to say I don't care about writing these). I do hope you'll consider reviewing though.**


	10. I feel you Now

**Author's Note: This installment will be quite a bit different than the others. Instead of being my typical quick write drawn from an idea post it, this was inspired by Usher's song "Numb". The lyrics are below if you've never heard it.**

"I Feel You Now"

Inspired by:

Numb By Usher

They say life is a battlefield  
I say bring it on  
If you wanna know how I feel  
Leave it till it's gone  
I'm just saying that what don't kill only makes you strong  
If you don't recognize what is real  
Then forever is a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long

Time, some things never change here we go again  
Feel like I'm losing my mind  
Shake it off, let it go, I don't care any more  
Just go numb  
You never know until you let go  
Let's go numb

I can feel you now

Keep on doing the same old thing  
And you expectin' change  
Well is that really insanity  
Or just a losers' game  
I only trust in the things I feel  
Some may say that's strange  
You better recognize what is real  
'Cause forever is a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long

Time, some things never change, here we go again  
Feel like I'm losing my mind  
Shake it off, let it go, I don't care anymore  
Let's go numb  
You never know until you let go  
We all go numb

I can feel you now  
(Numb)  
(Numb)

I can feel you now  
I can feel you now  
I can feel you now

But you can't feel it, do ya?  
(Numb)

Shake it off, let it go, I don't care anymore  
(Numb)

I can feel you now  
(Numb)  
I can feel you now  
(Numb)  
I can feel you now

Can you feel it?

WWWRenewCovertAffairsCOM-WWWRenewCovertAffairsCOM-WWWRenewCovertAffairsCOM-WWWRenewCovertAffairsCOM-WWWRenewCovertAffairsCOM

Auggie was stuck in a rut, the same routine day after day. That was until that fateful day he was assigned to give a tour to the newest agent on his caseload. Annie Walker.

Their connection was apparent immediately, at least to him. But he couldn't be sure if it was the same for her. Damn blindness. It kept him for knowing things with one-hundred percent accuracy. His confidence was nowhere near as low as it had been right after the accident, but also nowhere as high as it was before it.

The battlefield had changed him. It had blinded him. Blinded him physically, yes. But it had also blinded him emotionally. He was just numb to it all. Numb to happiness. Numb to sadness. Numb to the emotions of daily life. He hadn't been really living. Just existing-just on autopilot constantly.

It wasn't until Annie came along three years after the accident that he started to feel again. It was a slow process, but one he wasn't to take lightly. He wasn't sure he could trust himself. Could he trust the emotions he had repressed for so long? He'd been numb for years; could he be sure this was real now?

At this moment, at God knows what time in the morning, he laid there beside her. He remained still as a mountain as her head was on his chest still sound asleep. He thought, reminisced, and imagined what a future with Annie Walker might be like.

He remembered the events that had brought them here. They had both made mistakes. Both had things to regret. Pain they had caused each other. But here they were, together at last.

Auggie had been thinking about marriage for some time now, but as with most things, he wasn't absolutely positive how Annie felt about it.

He wanted to be with her for the rest of their lives. And she said she wanted the same. But was it fair to her. He doubted it could be. He doubted himself. Of course, he had a ring for her. He had had it for months. They hadn't talked about marriage, even though their coworkers all joked with them about it. They'd laugh and joke back, but for Auggie, it wasn't a joke. He wanted it to be real. But was it really what Annie wanted. Did she feel the same way?

He was lying there for so long, listening to her steady breathing as she slept. They had been through so much together. It shouldn't have worked out. They could have given up so many times. It would have been too much for most couples. It was almost too much for them, but here she lay. They were doing it. They'd been back together for almost a year. She'd moved in with him after three months. They'd had their share of problems, but now their communication was better. They were stronger together than either could be individually. They both knew that.

He sighed and smiled to himself. Right this moment, he felt it. Felt like it really could be forever.

He felt her move. He squeezed her tighter to him. He knew it was time. He was finally feeling complete. This was real. Annie was real and she wanted him. He felt he could feel her now. It was undeniable as she kissed him good morning. The passion was unquestionable. She too was in this for the long haul.

 **Author's note: Hope you enjoyed this exploration into Auggie's inner most thoughts.**


	11. Watch

**Author's Note: Here's your latest, "Adventures in Dating", not quite anything to do with Walkerson, but it was still fun to write (which is what these are ALL about). Please remember that I don't put these through nearly as much editing or reviewing. I do read through them once, but there WILL BE some mistakes in grammar, tense, etc. Feel free to point them out, I don't mind. Just please don't be mad at me for not putting as much time into the editing. Thanks and hope you're enjoying my updates lately.**

"Watch"

On Wednesday afternoon, Auggie checked his watch for the time, 3:25 pm. He rubbed his hands over his face. _Man, is time ever running slow today._ He thought to himself as his stomach growled in hunger. He wondered what his stomach could possibly be protesting this early in the afternoon. He'd ate a semi-early lunch, at least it was early for him, around 1, but it wasn't near what would usually be his dinner time when he finally got home after 8pm.

Annie would be coming home later that evening from a mission, so he wasn't in a hurry to get home to an empty apartment. Now that Annie lived with him full time, he hated being there alone. A year ago, if someone had told him in a year he would be living with his girlfriend, Annie Walker no less, then he would have probably laughed in their face. Now, they had lived together three months and he loved every minute of it.

Of course, like all relationships taking "next steps" there were things to adjust to for both of them, even when his disability wasn't taken into consideration. Logistical things like where Annie's belongings would go, who would be responsible for various chores around the house, or who would shower first in the morning were all things they had encountered. But Auggie found the stuff relating to his blindness like: don't forget to put things back where you got them from, keep things off the floor, or don't move things without telling him, were simply no brainers for Annie. He wasn't sure if she was just the in tune with him and his needs or if she was just extra careful since it was still new living with him. Either way, he was glad to be living with her.

As he worked, he stretched for a moment and worked some of the kinks out of his neck. _Wow, it's been a while since I got this stiff this early in the day at work._ He thought to himself as his muscles protested the movement much more than they usually did after just a few hours of work. After a couple more _pops_ , _creeks_ , and _cracks_ from his body he decided to get up from his desk and take a quick walk to the food court for a bite to eat.

He knew the CIA well, he'd been working there for years, both before and after his accident. He could get places he needed to go with very little trouble. As he walked out of his office and through the DPD bullpen, he briefly wondered why it was much quieter than it usually was on a Wednesday afternoon. However, on his mission to satisfy his sudden hunger, he didn't give it a second thought. Once he got to the food court, he was amazed at how short the lines were. His favorite barista must not have been there that day because usually she acknowledged him as soon as he entered the coffee shop.

When it was finally his turn to order, he ordered a coffee and blueberry muffin. As per the usual, he asked the server to lead him to a table and then asked him to bring his order to him when it was ready. As he sat down at the table shown to him, he listened to the sounds around him. He didn't usually come out of the office at this time in the day, but it was a much different environment than he was used to hearing around the coffee shop. Different voices, different smells, a different background noise completely. He wasn't sure why, but things just felt different around him at that moment.

As he waited for his order to arrive, he thought about his day. It'd been a long day and it wasn't over yet. He still had a few hours before he could leave. Barber and Hollman had both left around 10 and would both be out of the office for the rest of the day working on a high level case for Joan. So he basically had the office to himself unless someone came in needing him.

At times, the seclusion caused by his blindness made him feel like an outsider, but at work, he always felt included, even a needed component among his coworkers. His colleagues came to him for so many things. Whether it was hacking, codes, people they needed to find, information they sought, basic computing issues, or other things. He was the "go to" man for so many things that at times he even felt overwhelmed at how "in demand" he was on some days.

As his order arrived, he thanked the server and sipped his coffee. His stomach rumbled again just as he was extending his hand across the table in search for his muffin. Pinching off a rather sizable bite, he popped it in his mouth. Before he knew it he was taking the last sip from his coffee and reaching out to find that he had no more muffin left to eat. Satisfied with his break, he headed back to his office. Soon it would be time for Annie to give him a call to check in.

Once he was almost to his office, a familiar scent caught his attention. _Jo Malone Grapefruit? But that's Annie's perfume and she's out of the office_ , he thought to himself. He shrugged it off thinking perhaps another female operative had decided she liked the scent too. However, that thought lead to him thinking about how confusing that might get for him. _Maybe it was just a lingering scent from earlier this morning when Annie was in the office_.He told himself. Checking through emails and his ongoing projects again he realized that for the first time in a long while, he was actually kinda bored and he was also extremely tired. That day seemed like it was never going to end.

He touched his watch again to check the time. But was immediately confused as it again read 3:25.

Suddenly his ears peeked to the sound of heels heading his way.

"Why are you still here?" Annie asked.

"Well, it seems my watch is broke. I thought it was still the middle of the work day. But since you're back, it must be much later." Auggie said realizing now what had happened.

"Yeah, I'd say so, it's almost 10. I've just finished my report for Joan. I was about to head out when I saw the lights on in your office." Annie said walking over to his desk and leaning against it.

"Well, then let's get out of here." He said as he stood from his desk and stood next to her. He ran his hand up her side up to her shoulder and kissed her firmly.

"You ready?" She asked.

"Very much so. Let's get out of here." He told her as he shutdown his computer, grabbed his bag, and opened his cane.

"So what time did you think it was?" Annie asked as she tapped the back of his hand with her own, a gesture to offer his a sighted lead.

"3:25." He replied as he ran his arm up her arm.

"Wow, you're quite a few hours behind dear." She said playfully. "Let's get you home. You must be starving.

Auggie just smiled. Understanding now how the last few hours had played out. All these variations in his day were simply a result in a broken watch. The soreness, hunger, unfamiliar sounds, and the quietness of the bullpen. All explained by a watch.


	12. Coming Home

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Covert Affairs or any of its characters. Oh and as a reminder, please remember that the stories here aren't edited as much as my other stories, so while its likely that all of my writing has grammatical, spelling, or mechanical errors, these probably have more. Please forgive any mistakes. If it bugs you, you can point them out to me and I'll try to fix them if I have time. Without further ado, a random tale, from Annie's point of view. Basically no conversation. Just her thoughts and such. ENJOY!**

"Coming Home"

She gently placed her hand in his as he laid in their bed fast asleep. She hoped she wouldn't wake him up. It had been a long mission and all she really wanted to do was to be home next to him, even if it was three in the morning. She knew he would be asleep when she got home. He was expecting her to be home around six, but she had caught an earlier flight and not told him. She knew if he had told him then he would have stayed up until she got the missing even more sleep than he already did waiting on her to come home.

Now that she was home, she just wanted to have his arms wrapped her. The mission had not gone as planned, but ultimately she had got the information they needed and only endured a couple bruises and scrapes in the process of obtaining it.

As she inches closer to the man she loves, she took in his sleeping form. He looked incredibly peaceful as he slept. She loved that she got to see him like this. Completely unstressed and not having to be focused on his surroundings. She knew it wasn't easy for him-constantly having to pay attention to the people around him, where he was, and whether someone had "accidently" forgot and moved something. She knew he tried to only show confidence and strength, but it wasn't as easy as he tried to make it look.

When they'd first moved in together, Auggie had opened up a bit more about what life as a blind man was like. He had shared with her some of the frustrations and challenges he dealt with every day. Annie had listened to every word, happy to soak up anything he told her. He was such a private person, she felt honored that he trusted her enough to open up to him.

Coming home to him was something else she felt honored to be able to do. They had now lived together a month. Each day she felt grateful to him for allowing her into his home. She knew it hadn't been an easy decision for him. Another person in his home meant getting used to another person's things and the other person as well. Of course, she didn't have much in the way of possessions, but still what she did have took up space. Space that he already had purposes for. Change wasn't easy for him, she knew this.

As she continued simply staring at his dark form lying next to her, she wondered what he thought she looked like. She knew he knew every inch of her body better than anyone had before, but he had never seen her, not in a visual way. She knew he could recite her hair color, eye color, and other physical features about her, but there was more to a person than just those things. She wished she would give him her sight just for a few hours so he could take in her appearance and keep the memories once the gifted sight was gone. However, life did not work this way. He couldn't see her and never would. It was fine with her. But she knew at times he wished for his vision back.

Snuggling closer to him, she knew she would probably wake him up, but she also knew that he would be happy to drift off to sleep with her in his arms. As she expected, his arms wrapped gently around her within seconds. She smiled as his lips came to her ear.

"Welcome home dear," he whispered to her to her chest rested on his bare chest. It was at that moment that she knew she wanted to always be coming home to him, not matter where she worked or what she did as a profession. This was home.


	13. Vacation

**Author's Note: This story was inspired by a request. The requested stated: "Annie or Auggie being stuck somewhere and they have to run home, outwitting the bad guys." This is the FIRST part of that story. The next part will be posted in the next few days and is titled "Stuck in the Mud". I don't own Covert Affairs or its characters, but my passion and devotion to them is as unwavering as ever. Without further ado I give you the story.**

"Vacation"

Annie and Auggie had had seven long missions in a row that had impacted not only their ability to work, but also their shortness at home. Annie was back and forth to Europe almost spending no time at home, while Auggie was left stateside as her handler. Auggie refused to leave the office until he knew Annie was safe each night, but he also got up whenever she did each day. With the time difference and Auggie's other duties needing attention as well. They were both exhausted all the time.

One June afternoon, after Annie had returned home from Germany, Joan called them both into her office.

"Sit down," she told them, gesturing to the chairs in front of her desk. Annie put Auggie's hand on one of the chairs before taking a seat herself.

"I've noticed you two having some trouble this week. Is there anything I need to know about?" Joan asked, hoping they had not broken up and not told her.

"We're fine Joan," Auggie told her, knowing the assumption she was hoping was hoping wasn't true.

"Yes, Joan, we're fine. Just tired. It's been a long few weeks," Annie told their boss after a sigh.

"Maybe you two need a few days off," she said seriously.

Annie looked at her wide eyed.

"Can we? Both?" she asked cautiously.

"Believe it or not, this office can survive without the likes of Anderson and Walker holding it together. Yes, now go, both of you, before I change my mind. I don't expect to see either of you again for at least week. Go, rest, have fun," she told them, stifling a grin as they stood in front of her to leave.

"Thank you Joan," Auggie said, nodding his head in her direction before leaving with Annie.

* * *

They decided to go to Rome. They had both been before, but never together.

The first couple days, were filled with sleep, amazing food, and time simply spent together.

Of course, it would be their luck that their "vacation" would turn into a CIA mission. Every vacation Annie had went on since joining the CIA had always ended up becoming a mission. Now that both she and Auggie were on vacation, it didn't surprise her for a second when Auggie got a phone call from Joan. As always, they were told they could decline, but that simply wasn't their style. Once they were told about a mission, curiosity and a sense of loyalty kicked in and relaxing on vacation was simply not in the cards anymore.

"Are you sure about this Annie?" Auggie asked after getting off the phone with Joan. The three of them had discussed the case and what Joan needed them to do. They were going in undercover as a married couple again. Their handler back home would be in contact with them soon with further details.

An arms dealer had unexpectedly changed his travel plans from Mexico to Rome. Joan had agents in Mexico that had been intended to take the mission, but Annie and Auggie were already in Rome. Joan was grateful that the agency would be able to save some time, money, and effort putting Annie and Auggie on the job instead of the green agent that had been sent. Annie and Auggie's combine expertise wasn't necessarily needed, as it would be a simply information gathering mission, but Joan knew that either way where one was, the other was not far behind-if it was just over the phone.

"Yes. It'll be fun pretending to be a married couple again," Annie told him.

Auggie smiled and winked at her. "Yes, good practice for the future."

Annie's mouth went dry. They had, of course, discussed marriage, having kids, and such, but Annie was very against it right now and Auggie was on the fence about it altogether or he had seemed to be when they talked about.

"What?" Annie asked trying to hide her shock.

"You heard me. This'll be good practice for us to decide more about how we feel about marriage and having a family together. You haven't thought about it?" He asked in almost a teasing tone.

"Well, yes, I have. But I just don't know if I'm the wife and mom type." Annie admitted.

"And I'm not the typical husband or father type either, but, Annie, we define what those words mean for us. We don't have to conform to whatever one else says a wife is or a husband does. Neither of us exactly fits to most labels people put on us. Why should this be any different? I think we should consider it further." He said more seriously.

"Well, when you put it that way," she paused to think for a moment. "Okay, let's do this!" Annie told him rather excited about the experiment.

For the mission, their job was to go to the restaurant that Alexander Dumont was meeting a potential buyer. They had his reservations and knew he had requested a table near the back. They had arranged it to where they would be in the table next to his, celebrating their second wedding anniversary. They would each be wired to pick up information discussed during the meeting, but outside of enjoying their very expensive meal paid for by the CIA, that would be their only involvement. It would be someone else's job to follow up on whatever intel was recorded.

"I guess we'll need to go shopping for formal wear. I don't know about you, but I didn't bring attire for a five star restaurant on our vacation," Auggie said, already feeling a headache come on from the thought of shopping for a tuxedo in Rome.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. I didn't bring any kind of formal wear. I have my Christian Louboutins, so at least I don't have to buy those on the agency's dime," Annie said smiling.

"Yes, thank goodness you can't leave your apartment without those. The agency would be in trouble if they had to buy you those every random mission they sent you on without warning."

* * *

After an afternoon of shopping they were each ready for the mission. Auggie had taken care of getting all of the tech equipment they needed from a contact he had down the street from the store he got his tux from.

They were set to go to the restaurant thirty minutes before Alexander was scheduled to be there. They planned on being well into the first course before he arrived, but knew they needed to take their time with the meal. They planned to tell the server to take his time getting the second and third courses out to them. They were playing the doting couple and they planned to play it out to the fullest.

Auggie was a bit wary about pulling the mission off without any background knowledge of the layout in the restaurant, what food they served, or anything. He usually liked to be more prepared for missions he went on. He knew he could trust Annie to be his eyes any time he needed her to, but he hated having to reply on her so heavily. But, he knew undoubtedly they would use his blindness to their advantage anytime the time arose. He tried not to let it bother him that they used it to their advantage, but sometimes it did. However, it allowed him to be in the field, even if it was only a few times a year-it was worth it.

"Almost ready?" Auggie asked fifteen minutes before they had planned to leave for the restaurant. Everything was set, all of the audio equipment had been tested and was ready. Auggie's microphone was behind his cuff links and the button of his shirt and Annie's was in her handbag, which she would put behind her on the chair and in the necklace that she wore.

"Almost," Annie called from the bathroom.

"Okay, we need to leave soon. The car will be here any minute," Auggie called to her. They'd decided to splurge and rent a car for evening to make the illusion of a married couple seem even more real.

As they both readied themselves for the task ahead, they started out the door, hand in hand.

At the restaurant, they quickly ordered and let the server know that they wanted the courses spaces out over the next few hours. They promised a very large tip if their requests were honored.

As they waited for Alexander to show, they played their role perfectly. They sat next to each other, frequently holding hands, kissing one another, or whispering in each other's ears. Their goal was to look like any other married couple that might be in the restaurant.

As luck would have it, Alexander was earlier than expected. He arrived at 8:15 instead of 8:30. Annie and Auggie quickly adjusted their respective audio devices to insure optimum recording quality.

The rest of the evening went surprising smooth for Annie and Auggie. They barely listening to what was happening around them, letting the audio pick up in the information. It wasn't their job to know what was being said. They didn't even care that their entire conversation was being recorded, if anything was said about it they could always play the "we were just playing the part" card and deny any of it being real, despite them both meaning almost everything they said. As the night continued, the team backing them up let them know that they were getting enough information to take down Alexander.

Alexander left shortly before 10pm. Annie and Auggie had just received their dessert trays. They were satisfied that everything had gone exactly as planned. They now had plenty of information about Alexander's plans and Joan had texted them to let them know that everything had recorded as they needed it to.

After concluding their meal, settling the bill, and thanking their server they prepared to leave, but more importantly, they prepared to return to their vacation.


End file.
